This application claims the priority of Swiss Application No. 2000 1109/00 filed Jun. 5, 2000, which is incorporated herein by reference.
German Offenlegungsschrift (application published without examination) No. 26 29 531 describes a counting apparatus which includes a supply chute which has at its lower end a laterally displaceable counting device including two counting chutes. The counting chute which is in alignment with the supply chute is closed at the bottom by a stationary plate. As soon as the supply chute is full, the counting device is shifted so that the counting chute is emptied and the other counting chute is being filled. The counted products fall through a hopper into intermittently advanced packaging containers.
It is an object of the invention to provide an improved charging apparatus which operates reliably and with a high output rate.
This object and others to become apparent as the specification progresses, are accomplished by the invention, according to which, briefly stated, the apparatus for charging containers includes a first conveyor for advancing items; a second conveyor for continuously advancing containers; a charging device including first and second chutes each having an inlet adjoining the discharge end of the first conveyor and an outlet positioned above the second conveyor. The first and second chutes adjoin one another in a direction parallel to the conveying direction of the second conveyor. A drive shifts the charging device and the discharge end of the first conveyor relative to one another for selectively aligning the inlet of the first chute or the inlet of the second chute with the discharge end of the first conveyor for selectively introducing items from the first conveyor into the first or second chute. A sensor detects items advanced on the first conveyor. A control device is connected to the sensor and the drive for operating the drive based on the sensor signals.